Continuous-rail-joint clamp.



G. A. STARK & "e. GATES.

commons- RAIL JOINT CLAMP. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13,1910.

WIW

Patented May 2, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. STARK AND GEORGE GATES, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

GONTINUOUS-RAIL-JOINT CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1911;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE A. STARK and GEORGE GATES, citizens of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Continuous-Rail-Joint Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to what we term a continuous rail clamp.

It is designed to retain railway rails in place, and to compensate for the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the rails, retaining them in place, and preventing them from creeping in one direction.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line Y Y, Fig. 2.

AA are the meeting ends of two rails, these rails being cut, as shown at 2, so that they overlap in such manner as to produce what is called a continuous rail. In order to retain these rails in proper position, and at the same time allow a certain longitudinal movement to compensate for the expansion and contraction under heat and cold, we have shown clamps 3. These clamps may be rolled or otherwise formed with channels within which the base flanges of the rails A will fit. The clamps are bolted upon the ties or other supports of the road-bed, and each clamp has formed in it a slot or channel 4. One of these clamps is fitted upon each side of the rail joint.

The meeting ends of the rails have enlargements or plates 5 fixed to, or rolled with them. These plates are close to the ends of the rails and upon opposite sides of the joint. One of these plates projects up into each of the slots or channels 4 in the clamps, and the length of the slots is sufficiently greater than the length of the plates to allow as much movement of the rail as would naturally take place by extreme expansion. Thus, these clamps being firmly bolted to the ties or supports, any expansion of the rails will simply carry the enlargements of the rails toward the ends of the slots or channels 4c in which they lie. Thus, with considerable heat the rails might expand without breaking the joint, and when they again contract, the plates will move toward the opposite ends of the slots or channels 4; and as these clamps are firmly secured, any tendency of the rails to creep in one direction, when laid upon a grade, will be prevented.

6 is a supporting block which may be formed with, or secured to, one of the clamps 8, or it may be secured to the tie, and is so shaped as to overlap the clamp, fitting around the head and vertical web of the rail, and its upper part is beveled to a thin edge which abuts against the meeting slot or opening between the two rails; thus serving to maintain the two rail ends in alinement, as they move back or forward.

Having thus described our invention,what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Railway rails having off-set, overlapping heads and lugs or enlargements upon the webs beneath the heads, fixed channeled clamps within which the rails and enlargements have a simultaneous movement through expansion and contraction, and an exterior support abutting the rail edgewise and extending upwardly and fashioned to fit the exterior of the rail heads, said support having its inner end abutting against and covering the joint between the meeting ends of the rails and conforming to the web enlargements.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE 12A. STARK. GEORGE GATES.

W'itnesses:

GEETRUDE F. KINGsLEY, D. W. NEEDHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, I). G. 

